Long Beach: Team Penske Friday report

Briscoe Owns Second-Fastest Practice Time at Long Beach
LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 16, 2010) - Team Penske opened the race weekend
with a robust performance in Friday's practice sessions for the Toyota Grand
Prix of Long Beach, as all three of...

Briscoe Owns Second-Fastest Practice Time at Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 16, 2010) - Team Penske opened the race weekend
with a robust performance in Friday's practice sessions for the Toyota Grand
Prix of Long Beach, as all three of the team's drivers finished among the
top nine on the speed chart.

Ryan Briscoe led the way with the second-fastest lap of the day - 1:10 .6980
(100.212 mph) - around the 11-turn, 1.968-mile street course in the No. 6
Team Penske Dallara/Honda. Ryan Hunter-Reay carded the fastest lap of the
day overall at 1:10.6346 (100.302 mph).

Team Penske has won the first three races of the IZOD IndyCar Series season
and Briscoe hopes to continue the team's streak Sunday in the streets of
downtown Long Beach.

"I think as a team, we're extremely strong at the moment," said Briscoe, who
knows he needs to maintain his quick pace Saturday in qualifying. "We're
really pushing each other a lot. There's a really good vibe within. And I
really feel like coming into this part of the season, I really need to step
it up in qualifying. For sure, to get the race wins, my first step is going
to be stepping it up in qualifying."
Will Power, who won the first two races of the season and leads the
championship standings heading into Sunday's race, had the fifth-fastest lap
Friday. Power, who topped morning practice, posted a time of 1:10.8641
(99.977 mph) in the afternoon session driving the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske
Dallara/Honda.

"We are reasonably happy with the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car," said
Power. "We need to find a bit more speed. It is really close out there,
really competitive. We will work on it tonight and we should be in great
shape tomorrow for qualifying."

After winning Sunday's race at Barber Motorsports Park, Helio Castroneves
recorded the ninth-fastest lap Friday - 1:11.0267 (99.748 mph) -- in the
Team Penske No. 3 Team Penske machine Castroneves was second in morning
practice.

"We are learning a lot of good information for qualifying and the race,"
said Castroneves. "The No. 3 car has been solid and we will continue working
on it tonight. It has been a beautiful day here in Long Beach and it is
great to see all the fans out at the track."